Show Me
by Ellie717
Summary: "I can be mature!" James said, standing up and facing her. "Saying it and actually doing it are two completely different things, James. This isn't something you can just tell me. I need to see you be mature. Show me that you can stop hexing everyone that mildly annoys you. Show me that when you pull a prank, it won't hurt anyone. Show me that this kindness you have won't go away."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, this is my first fanfiction! This was originally supposed to be much shorter, but the story just kept going and going, and I couldn't stop writing! I hope it doesn't seem dragged out, but sorry if it does. **

**Anyway, I just want to make an apology right now to all the Snape fans out there… He isn't actually in this story. I know, I know, how can I have a Lily/James story without Snape?! I debated about having him in here for a long time, but I decided that it would just be more confusing and he just didn't really fit in the story very well. So, let's just say, this story takes place after Snape calls Lily a Mudblood. Okay? Okay. On with the story!**

It was the start of his sixth year at Hogwarts and James was excited. Sirius had moved in with him over the summer after running away, and now the two were boarding the train to Hogwarts. James could tell it was going to be a good year. Secretly, James was anticipating seeing Lily again. Summers always seemed long because he didn't get to see her for a few months. But in a way, he liked seeing her after the summer months. He was always pleasantly surprised at how much more beautiful she seemed. And James dared to hope that maybe, just maybe, she might finally agree to go out with him this year. He was going to try his hardest to win her over.

As James and Sirius neared their usual compartment, Sirius suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"I don't think we want to go this way, mate."

"Why?" James asked, confused.

"Trust me, we should just find a different compartment," Sirius insisted.

"But we've always sat in that compartment. We'll just kick out whatever git is in there now." And with that, James shoved past Sirius... And smacked straight into Ridrick Danes.

"Sorry," James said, shuffling into his compartment. Lily was the only one in there, which was not unusual. She occasionally shared their compartment, especially since she had stopped speaking to Snape. James could see no reason Sirius hadn't wanted to come in here. James turned to Sirius as he walked in the compartment.

"Don't know what you were fussing about. It's only Lily," James said.

"Right," Sirius said, with a pointed look at Lily, making her blush.

Soon Remus and Peter joined them. The boys got settled in as the train took off. James couldn't help but notice that Lily seemed especially radiant this year. He wondered what could have made her so happy.

"Why are you staring at me?" Lily demanded, pulling James from his thoughts.

"No reason," James said quickly, looking away.

Before Lily had a chance to reply, a Hufflepuff girl in their year named Celine came bursting through the compartment door.

"Oh my gosh, Lily! Why didn't you tell me you were dating Ridrick!? I'm so happy for you; he's so cute!" Celine exclaimed, sitting down next to Lily.

Lily said something in reply but James couldn't make out what she said. The world seemed to slow down as James tried to grasp what Celine had said. Lily was dating Ridrick. Lily and Ridrick were dating. Suddenly, Sirius' weird behavior made sense. Ridrick must have been in the compartment with Lily before he had gotten in there. He had literally walked straight into Ridrick and not figured it out. Suddenly, the year did not seem so great, and James had a hard time remembering why he had ever thought it would be. Lily's voice cut him out of his thoughts again.

"He asked me out the last day of term last year," she said.

"Oh that's so cute!" Celine exclaimed again. James wondered why she had to practically shout everything. Couldn't she just say things a little quieter?

"Where is your hunk, anyway?" Celine asked. This caused Lily to blush so much, her face almost matched her hair.

"He's just catching up with his friends now, but I'm meeting him later."

Lily looked over at James then. He just stared back lifelessly. It didn't matter what she thought of him, or how mad she got at him, or what he did to win her attention. She was with Ridrick. Nothing else seemed to matter. Lily looked away, with a slightly confused expression.

"Well, anyway," Celine said, "I just wanted to say congratulations. I'm gunna go find Alice and Frank. See you later!" With that, Celine left the compartment.

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. Nobody seemed to know what to say. James was looking morosely out the window. Sirius and Remus were looking between James and Lily with concern and sadness. Peter just sat there, looking frightened as usual. Lily just looked confused.

"Um, did I do something?" she asked.

"Isn't your boyfriend waiting for you?" James spat.

Lily looked taken aback, and then angrily left the compartment without a word.

"James I-" Remus began, but James cut him off with a glare his friends had never been on the receiving end of. The rest of the train ride was silent.

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Lily walked off the train hand in hand with Ridrick. He was smiling down at her, his tawny hair falling in his bright blue eyes. She smiles weakly back. He could tell she was still thinking about James and his hostility towards her.

"Lily, I hate to see you like this. Forget Potter, okay? He's just being immature."

"Yeah, you're right," Lily said, though she was still a little upset and angry at Potter for being so rude to her. She hadn't even done anything! What did Potter care if she was dating Ridrick? Sure, Potter had asked her out a few times, but it was always just as a joke. At least, she had always assumed it was. Now she wasn't so sure. But she was happy with Ridrick. He was kind and respectful towards her. He never played dumb pranks or teased her. He was just what she wanted, she told herself. They made it to the Great Hall without Lily even realizing it.

"I have to go sit at my table, but I'll walk you to the Gryffindor entrance later, okay?" Ridrick said.

"Yeah, okay," Lily said, kissing him quickly and walking to her table while Ridrick walked to the Ravenclaw table. She chose a seat near Frank Longbottom and his girlfriend, Alice.

Lily had grown close to Alice over the last year, and was glad for a chance to catch up. After the sorting had finished and the feast had begun, they began talking. Eventually the conversation led to the strange occurrence in the compartment.

"I just have no idea why he was suddenly so angry. James and I argue all the time but that was the first time I've ever seen him genuinely angry." Alice and Frank shared a knowing look.

"Lily... I feel this may be something you have to figure out on your own," Alice said slowly.

"Yeah, I agree. It's not fair to James if we tell you. Either he tells you, or you figure it out," Frank continued.

"Agh, you're just confusing me more! What do I have to figure out? Why James is so rude and arrogant? Because I already know the answer to that. His ego."

"Oh, Lily," Alice said, "In time, you'll see."

"You are no help at all," Lily said, but she smiled and laughed with the couple anyway. Ridrick came up behind her then.

"Hello, darling. Are you finished? Or should I go back to my table for a few more minutes. I am rather tired though so I would like to head up soon," he said, apologetically.

"Oh, we can head up now, no problem," she said, getting up and waving to Alice and Frank. Ridrick led her out the Great Hall by her hand, softly pulling her along.

"I know the way, Ridrick. You don't have to guide me to my own tower," Lily said with a teasing voice.

"Sorry," he said, falling into pace with her so he was no longer pulling her, but just holding her hand.

"It's fine," she said, giving him a smile that he returned warmly.

When they reached Gryffindor tower, Ridrick leaned in and kissed her. He smiled as he pulled away.  
"Lily, I have something to tell you," he said. Lily could hear footsteps drawing near, but she ignored them and looked at Ridrick curiously.

"Lily, I just wanted to tell you that you're the most amazing person I've ever met and I can't imagine being with anyone else. You're just so perfect and I love being with you and... What I'm really trying to say is that, Lily, I love you," he tumbled out.

Lily was shocked. She didn't know what to say. She was happy with him, yes, but love? They had only been dating for two and a half months. Could you love someone in such a short time?

She had been so focused on Ridrick's confession that she had failed to notice the footsteps that had reached the portrait door. She only remembered when she heard a steely voice behind her saying the password. The voice sent chills down her spine. It belonged to James Potter. And he was the absolute last person she would have wanted overhearing that confession.

"Lily?" Ridrick asked, tentatively. Lily had to answer.

"Ridrick, I don't know what to say. I'm happy with you, but... I don't want to say 'I love you' unless I am sure I mean it... And right now I'm still unsure."

"Oh," Ridrick said, sadly.

"I'm sorry, Ridrick," Lily said to him.

"It's ok. I'm pretty tired so, uh, good night, Lily. See you tomorrow." With that, he hurried away, leaving Lily standing there alone in the hall.

"Don't worry, deary. He'll be alright," a voice spoke. It took Lily a moment to realize it had been the Fat Lady who had spoken.

"Yeah, I hope so," Lily replied sadly. She gave the Fat Lady the password and ran up to her dormitory quickly, just wanting to get some sleep. It had been a long day.

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James couldn't sleep. Ridrick's declaration was all he could think about. Ridrick loved Lily? And more importantly, did she love him back? He wished he had stayed long enough to hear her reply, but all he had wanted to do was run as far away from them as possible. He had forced himself to calmly give the password and walk in the common room though. And now he didn't know how Lily felt about Ridrick. Maybe he didn't want to know. Maybe he would be better off not knowing. Maybe it would help him get over her. But James knew, deep down, that there was no getting over Lily. This was their sixth year at Hogwarts, and the sixth year he had loved Lily. If he hadn't move on by now, he never would.

But now he didn't know what to do. He didn't think he could ignore her. No, she was too difficult to ignore. As hard as it was going to be, he had to be her friend. Just her friend. It would be torturous, and he would have to deal with Ridrick, and at the end of their arguments he wouldn't be able to ask her out anymore, and he couldn't touch her as much anymore, but he would be able to talk to her, and be around her and that was better than nothing. Even if it hurt like hell. He would do it for her.

The next morning, James woke up exhausted but determined. _'Be Lily's friend'_ he thought to himself. He got up, dressed, and went down to the Great Hall where Sirius, Peter, and Remus were waiting for him.

"Hey, Prongs," Sirius said.

"Hey," James replied, "So, I've been thinking. Should I go apologize to Lily?"

"Well, you were quite rude to her," Remus answered softly.

"Yeah. I know you were upset about her boyfriend, but she had no idea why you got so angry. She looked pretty shocked at your outburst," Sirius said.

"Ok, I'll go apologize then," James said, as he got up from his seat at the table. He quickly scanned the table and found Lily sitting with Alice and Frank. He walked over to her.

"Hey, Lily. Can we talk for a minute?"

"Why should I talk to you, Potter? You were rude to me for no reason yesterday, and unless you came to apologize, I have nothing to say to you," she said, not even looking at him.

"I did come to apologize." She whirled around to look at him, utterly bewildered.

"What?" she asked, incredulously.

"Can we go out in the hall for a minute?" he asked her.

"Um, yeah," she said, still looking shocked. He led her a little ways past the Great Hall doors to a small deserted corridor. He turned to look at her.

"I am sorry about snapping at you on the train, Lily," James told her.

"Why did you? Did I do something to make you angry?"

"No, no, you didn't do anything really, I just, well, I was... I'm just sorry, okay?" he muttered.

James knew he was avoiding telling her the truth but what was he supposed to say? 'Oh, well I've loved you for years and I'm insanely jealous that you have a boyfriend that isn't me.' Yeah, that would go over well.

"Ok," Lily said, a little skeptically, "Apology accepted."

"Lily? What are you doing out here?" Ridrick was coming towards them, looking suspicious. He reached for Lily and all but yanked her into him.

"Ridrick," Lily said, pulling herself from his grasp.

"I was just apologizing to Lily for my rude behavior on the train," James said quickly.

"You couldn't apologize in the Great Hall?" Ridrick said, narrowing his eyes at James.

"Ridrick, we just came into the hallway so we could hear each other better and so James didn't have to apologize in front of everyone," Lily explained, looking at Ridrick.

"Well, I was worried when I couldn't find you," Ridrick said, with a little harshness in his voice.

James looked at Lily to find her expression mirrored his own. They were both confused as to why Ridrick seemed so angry.

"Ridrick, you don't need to keep tabs on me. I can handle myself. It's Hogwarts, and I could walk blind through these corridors," Lily said.

"Let's just go back to the Great Hall," Ridrick suggested suddenly, and practically dragged Lily away. James followed silently behind. As Lily went through the doors, James was surprised to see Ridrick turn around to face him.

"Listen, Potter," he said, looking frightfully angry, "Lily is _mine_. Don't even think about taking her from me, or you'll regret it. Got it?"

James was not one to who was easily frightened, but the look in Ridrick's eyes made him take a step back.

"Yeah, got it," James replied.

Ridrick seemed satisfied, and went through the doors to his Ravenclaw table. James headed to his seat.

"So, how'd it go?" Sirius asked as soon as James had sat down.

"Uh, Lily accepted my apology, but then Ridrick came and pulled Lily back here. He was kinda angry. And then he threatened me."

"He what?!" Sirius exclaimed.

"He said that Lily was his and if I tried to take her away I would regret it," James said, "and he had this look in his eyes. Like he really would hurt me or anyone who took Lily away from him."

"Ridrick? He always seemed... Not angry" Remus said, looking confused.

"Well, this Ridrick was pretty angry," James replied.

"I hope Lily will be alright with him," Sirius said, looking over at Lily. The friends exchanged worried glances.

"This _is_ Lily we're talking about," Remus said.

"Normally I wouldn't be worried about her, but you didn't see his face. I'm not sure if even Lily could handle him angry. He looks... Dangerous," James replied. The friends made a silent pact to keep an eye on Lily.

Breakfast past, then Transfiguration and Potions. As the four friends trudged through the corridor towards the Gryffindor common room, the sounds of a heated argument wafted through the hall.

"Look, I'm sorry you're upset, but I don't really see what the big deal is!" a girl's voice shouted. The four stopped in their tracks. It was Lily. They all huddled close to the wall to listen without being seen.

"You were alone with him! That's the big deal!"

"Ridrick, he was just apologizing!"

"He could have apologized in the Great Hall! He just wanted you alone because he was trying to make a move on you!" Lily groaned.

"That's ridiculous. Potter was just APOLOGIZING! That is the only thing we talked about. He didn't try to make a move on me. He knows I have a boyfriend and he respects those boundaries."

"Yeah, he will now," Ridrick said, darkly.

"What? What do you mean he will now?"

"Let's just say Potter and I had a little chat."

"Did you threaten him?!" Lily asked, incredulously.

"I told him to stay away from you."

"I can't believe you! You shouldn't have to threaten anyone. You should trust me enough to know that I would never cheat on you!" Lily shouted.

"Lily I-"

"No, Ridrick. If you ever threaten my friends again, we will be over. Understand?"

The four friends could hear retreating footsteps, and took their chance to run to the common room. It was empty when they arrived.

"Wow, I see what you mean about Angry Ridrick. He's sounds scary," Remus said.

"Lily needs to dump that git," Sirius said.

"Agreed," the other three said in unison. Suddenly, the portrait swung open, revealing Lily, still flushed from the argument.

"Oh, Potter, I'm glad I found you," she said, walking towards him.

"I just wanted to apologize for what Ridrick said. I was so angry when I found out."

"Oh, I bet," Sirius said, earning an elbow to the ribs from James.

"It's fine," James said. "Just promise me something?"

"Okay?" Lily said curiously.

"Be careful." Lily and James held eye contact, and James hoped she would understand. Ridrick's temper was dangerous.

"Yeah. Of course," she replied, and went to her dormitory.

"Can you believe it? Only the first day of classes and we already have Potions homework!" Sirius exclaimed suddenly, causing them all to groan.

"Better get started," Peter said, speaking for the first time since breakfast. They all agreed and started the long assignment.

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Lily was confused. And though she'd never admit it, she was scared. Ridrick's behavior was completely strange. They had never gotten in a fight until today; she had never even seen him angry until today. What had changed him? She wondered if it was about his declaration yesterday night. Could he be so angry because she didn't love him yet? Or was he really just angry at her for talking to Potter?

It had been an hour since their fight. She figured that was enough time for them both to have cooled down and decided to go look for him. She really wanted to sort this out. She got off her bed and went down the stairs to the common room where she saw Potter, Sirius, Remus, and Peter surrounded by their Potions books. She resisted the urge to laugh at the unusual scene.

"This is certainly something I never thought I would see. You four doing homework," she said, letting a little laugh slip.

"I'm hurt," Sirius said sarcastically, wearing a fake expression of pain.

"I'm leaving before you all get distracted by me and find something better to do. This is a rare occasion that shouldn't be spoiled," Lily said, smiling.

"What makes you think that you are a distraction?" James challenged, with his signature smirk.

"I don't know Potter, you tell me. After all, you are the one that's always staring at me," she retorted with a smile. She turned and left before he had a chance to reply. She walked into the hall and thought about where Ridrick might be. He was quite studious; maybe she should try the library. No, she thought, the library wasn't somewhere to go when you were angry. She thought harder, and then it hit her. Ridrick loved water. He would almost certainly be by the lake. Lily quickly walked to the front doors and out on the dark grounds. She could barely make out a figure by the lake, and quietly approached it.

"Hey," she said to Ridrick.

"Hi," he said, looking at her, "Look, I'm really sorry about earlier. I guess I was just jealous."

"You should have just said that in the first place," Lily said kindly, laying a hand on Ridrick's shoulder.

"I know. I'm just so afraid because you don't love me." _'Aha,'_ Lily thought, _'so the real problem comes to light.'_

"Is that what you're worried about? Ridrick, just because I don't love you yet, doesn't mean I don't care about you. I do care about you, I'm just not ready to say I love you," she explained.

"I know," he said.

"Okay, good. I couldn't sleep without talking to you first." Lily smiled at him and he smiled back.

"It's getting pretty late though," he stated, "We should probably head in. I'll walk you to your tower."

Ridrick walked her to the Gryffindor entrance, kissed her goodbye, and went to his own dormitory. Lily walked through the common room to see a few other students, but there was no sign of James or his friends. She continued her way up to her bed, and settled in for the night.

The next morning, Lily woke up feeling refreshed. She walked down to the Great Hall, and saw that Frank and Alice were sitting next to James and his three friends.

"Hey guys," she said, sitting across from Alice, next to Remus. She noticed immediately that Remus looked awful. His skin was pale, emphasizing the dark bags under his eyes. He looked exhausted, like he had been up all night. On closer inspection, Lily noticed small scratches on his hands that were barely noticeable.

"Remus, are you okay?" Lily whispered worriedly to him. He looked startled for a moment, then quickly replied.

"Yeah, fine, just a bad night's sleep."

"But the scratches," Lily said, unconvinced.

"It's nothing," he said.

She sensed there was something going on, but decided to drop it for now. She would find out soon enough.

"So, how did the homework go?" Lily asked the group.

"Fine," Sirius said.

He sounded tired. In fact, now that she looked, all four boys looked tired. What had they been doing last night? She could see that now was not the best time for a conversation with them. They weren't even talking to each other. Lily looked up to see Ridrick headed towards her. She got up to meet him.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully, kissing her. She just smiled in return. Today they had Defense Against the Dark Arts together. They walked to the class in a comfortable silence.

"Don't show me up too much today," Ridrick teased as they neared the classroom.

"Oh, I'll try not to," Lily teased back. They walked into the class and took their seats as other kids began to fill in. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were the last to come in, Lily noticed.

They were learning about complicated hexes today. The class passed by quickly, and Lily was the first to produce a successful hex on her dummy. Ridrick, however, could not get it right. Lily went over to help him, as she had already practiced enough for the day.

"Ridrick, just hold your wrist a little steadier," she said, reaching for his wrist to show him the position.

"I'll do it on my own, Lily!" he shouted, shoving her backwards. She stumbled and almost fell, but caught herself on a table behind her. She stared at him, stunned. He had just pushed her. Worse yet, everyone was now staring at her.

"Oh my gosh, Lily, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to push you! I just forget how light you are sometimes," Ridrick said, looking worried. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Lily told him. "Just don't be so rough. I'm not as big as your friends are, so don't push me around like I am."

"I won't, I really am sorry, Lily... So wanna show me how to do this bloody hex?" he asked, smiling at her.

"Yeah, sure," she agreed.

She took a quick glance around the room to see that everyone had gone back to hexing. Everyone except James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. They stood, looking at her with worried expressions. Well, Sirius, Remus, and Peter looked worried. James looked furious. She quickly looked away and went back to helping Ridrick. By the end of the class, he had finally gotten it.

"You're such a genius, Lily!" he shouted happily.

"Thanks," she said, though she didn't smile. She just wanted to go up to the common room and think for a while.

"I'm gunna go get started on some homework," Lily said, turning and practically running to the tower.

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James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter walked up to the common room in a hurry. They were eager to discuss today's events in class with Lily and Ridrick. When they got up there however, they discovered Lily asleep on the couch. James had never seen anyone look so peaceful. He just stood, watching her hair glimmer in the firelight.

"Staring is rude, Prongs. Now let's get up to our dormitory so we can talk about Lily and that idiot," Sirius said. James followed the three boys up where they all settled on James and Sirius' beds.

"So what the hell do we do?" James asked them.

"I don't think there's much we can do besides watch out for her," Remus said reasonably.

"But I can't just sit there and watch him treat her like that!" James practically shouted. "I was about ready to hex the git today!"

"Wouldn't do anything but make Lily angry with you," Sirius said.

"I know, that's why I didn't," James said, scowling.

"So what should we do?" Peter asked.

"Maybe someone should talk to her," Sirius suggested. Simultaneously, Peter, James, and Sirius looked at Remus.

"Oh no, not me!" Remus exclaimed.

"You have to! She would get mad at Sirius and I! And it would be weird if Wormtail did because they hardly ever talk. If you did, she would just think you're being a concerned friend. Come on, please?" James pleaded.

"Ugh, fine," Remus agreed. "I'll go see if she's awake."

They all stayed silent for a minute. When Remus did not come right back up, the three remaining friends silently crept down the stairs to hear Remus and Lily.

"Remus, don't worry about me. I can handle it."

"I'm just concerned about you, Lily. You never take any bull from anyone, but this guy was rude to you and you just took it. You didn't even fight back."

"I know," Lily said sadly, "It's just... He never acted like that before. All summer we got along great, but now... I don't know what's changed."

"People change, Lily. I don't know what changed Ridrick, but I do know that he has a bad temper and he doesn't seem to be able to control it. So just be careful, okay?"

"Now you sound like Potter," Lily said laughing. James stiffened at the mention of his name.

"He's just trying to protect you, as we all are," Remus replied.

"Yeah, I know," Lily said. James thought he heard Remus get up.

"Hey, Remus?" Lily said suddenly.

"Yeah?" She was silent a moment.

"Never mind," she said. James heard footsteps leaving the common room and figured they must belong to Lily. Remus came around the corner a second later.

"I should have known you would be here," he said to his three eavesdropping friends. They laughed and headed back upstairs.

By the time the four got to the Great Hall the next morning, Lily, Alice, and Frank were already sitting with four open seats next to them. James chose the one next to Lily. She only glanced at him before looking back at her food. She seemed uncharacteristically quiet.

"Everything okay?" James asked her.

"Yeah," she relied, quietly.

"You sure?" She only nodded her head in return. James was not convinced.

"I know something that will cheer you up!" James whispered excitedly. He took out his wand and silently flicked it over at Sirius' food. Lily looked like she was about to ask a question, but James just put his finger to his lips indicating that she should be quiet. James and Lily watched as Sirius took a bite. Seconds later Sirius' nose began to grow.

"Aahhhh!" Sirius shouted, jumping from his seat. "My nose!" The whole Great Hall erupted into laughter. James was laughing so hard he could barely breathe, and was pleased to see that Lily was trying to hide her laughter by covering her mouth with her hand.

"You did this!" Sirius shouted at James.

"Sorry, mate. Lily needed cheering up!" James replied happily.

"I had nothing to do with this!" Lily exclaimed, punching James in the arm, but still laughing.

"I'll get you back, Prongs!"

"Then its war," James said much too happily.

"Fix it!" Sirius shouted. James lazily flicked his wand at Sirius and his nose returned to normal size.

"Never a dull moment at this table, eh?" a voice said from behind James. He turned around to find Ridrick standing there, with his hand on Lily's shoulder. Angrily, he looked away.

"Nope, we love a good hex now and then. Especially to people who deserve it," Sirius said, all trace of laughter and games gone from his voice. He hadn't broken eye contact with Ridrick since he had come to the table.

"Right," Ridrick said, looking away from Sirius. James was being unusually quiet, just trying to focus on not doing anything he would regret.

"Well, Lily, are you ready to go?" Lily seemed hesitant.

"Well, I haven't quite finished eating yet. But I don't want to hold you up. I'll just walk to class with these guys," she said slowly.

"Ok..." Ridrick said, somewhat angrily. He stalked away. Lily looked relieved.

"Good for you," Sirius said. Lily just nodded.

"Let's walk to class," Remus suggested a few minutes later. As they walked, James repeatedly glanced at Lily. She seemed upset. Before he had the chance to ask her what was wrong, they arrived in Astronomy, and Lily quickly walked to her seat. James reluctantly took his and made a mental note to catch her after class.

The class passes by quickly, and James was out of his seat as soon it ended. Lily had her back turned, gathering her books, when he approached. As he was about to make his presence clear, she suddenly turned around. Lily smacked into his chest and James instinctually grabbed her waist so she wouldn't fall.

"Oh! Potter!" Lily said startled, taking a step back. James released his hold on her waist and ran his fingers through his hair nervously. He felt a blush creeping up his neck.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have come up behind you like that," he said, embarrassed.

"It's alright. Did you want to talk to me or something?" she asked, curiously.

"Oh, yeah. Just not here," he said, leaving her to decide where to go.

"Ok. Let's take a walk," she replied.

"Are you sure Ridrick won't mind?" He did not want to cause Ridrick to get angry again. She seemed to hesitate, but then shook her head and started walking. James followed. Once they were a good ways away from any crowds, they sat down against the wall.

"Lily, are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked, confused.

"Well... Ridrick..." Lily's face changed at the mention of her boyfriend's name.

"Oh."

"I'm guessing that means you aren't okay," James said. Lily did not reply, and looked away from him. He realized this was more serious than he had thought.

"Lily?" he called softly.

Finally, she turned to look at him. Never once through all the years of arguments, pranks, and her former best friend's betrayal had he ever seen Lily cry, but here she was, looking at him with tears in her eyes. James had the urge to take Lily in his arms and hide someplace where nothing could ever hurt her again. Instead, he reached his hand to her face and brushed away her tears with his thumb. She looked at him with an unreadable expression. Then she closed her eyes, and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. For a minute, James froze. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves, and relaxed. Slowly, he reached for Lily's hand. When she didn't resist, he entwined his fingers with hers. She sighed next to him, and James hoped it was not because of him.

"James..." she said, pulling her hand away and moving away from him. The sudden absence of her body heat left James cold and disappointed.

"Sorry," he mumbled, getting up. He knew he should leave before he did anything else he would regret. He began walking.

"Wait, James," she said. It was the use of his first name that made him stop. Lily had called him Potter since they first met. And now she had used his first name twice. He turned around and walked over to where she was standing. She looked at him with a pained expression.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"For what?" he asked. Surely she was not apologizing for what had just happened.

"For not realizing it before." She quickly kissed him on the cheek and ran around the corner before James had even moved. He had so many questions. Dumbly, James touched the spot Lily had kissed as though it might give him all the answers. He made his way to the common room slowly, in thought all the while.

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Lily had been so stupid. How could she not have figured it out sooner? It seemed so obvious now. James Potter loved her. All those times he had asked her out had been real and she had just shot him down without a thought. All those attention seeking pranks and jokes had not been to get anyone's attention, but hers. All the flirting, all the arguing, all the staring, the hostility on the train... It all made sense now. But Lily still didn't know how she felt about him. The pranking James-the one that hexed people for no reason, the one that made jokes at others expense, and had an arrogant attitude- didn't have a chance with her. But the James she had seen today- the kind one, who without saying a word had made her feel better- could be someone she wanted to be with. If he could learn to control his wild side...

Lily paused in the corridor. Ridrick was coming straight towards her. And he looked furious. Ridrick was the only person Lily was truly frightened of. He had hit her yesterday, and though she desperately wanted to, she was afraid to break up with him. She turned the other way and bolted. She had to get to the common room! It was the only safe place. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist and held on. The force of the sudden stop made Lily fall backwards, knocking the wind out of her. Ridrick loomed above her.

"You are mine, Lily Evans," he sneered. "Don't ever forget that. If you try to leave, I will make your life miserable until you are begging me to take you back."

With that, he walked away, leaving Lily crying, laying on the cold hard floor, still trying to catch her breath. After what seemed like an eternity, Lily got up. She walked to the common room with her head down, so no one would notice her red-rimmed eyes. She managed to get into the common room without a disturbance, but sitting on the couch were James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. All four looked up when she entered the room. James sprung up and walked quickly over to her.

"Lily I-"

"Not now, Potter!" she practically shouted at him, and ran towards her dormitory. He looked hurt, but ran after her anyway.

"Lily!"

He lunged for her wrist, causing Lily to cry out in pain and jerk her wrist back. Stunned, he let go immediately. She looked up at him with fresh tears in her eyes. The other three boys had gathered around her as well. James gingerly took hold of Lily's hand and held it up, pushing her sleeve back with his other hand. There, on her swollen wrist, was a bruise in the shape of a hand. Lily hadn't realized how bad the state of her wrist had been. Tears spilled down her face.

"Lily..." James said, looking stricken. Lily fell into James' chest, sobbing.

"James, help me." Lily felt James' arms snake around her waist, and for the first time since she had come to Hogwarts this year, she felt safe.

"Don't worry, Lily. I'll take care of it for you. You won't have to worry about him ever again. Now, let's get your wrist healed up, yeah?"

James led Lily over to the couch, where Remus was waiting with his wand out.

"Remus can heal anything. He'll have your wrist back to normal in no time," Sirius said, encouragingly. Lily just nodded and Remus went to work. Sirius had been right; in less than a minute, her wrist was fully healed.

"Thanks, Remus," Lily mumbled.

"No problem," he replied, smiling. "I think it's time for me to get some sleep, though." Remus headed upstairs. Sirius, looked between James and Lily, and made a show of yawning.

"I think Remus has the right idea. Come on Wormtail," he said, dragging Peter upstairs with him. Once they were out of sight, Lily laughed.

"Subtlety isn't exactly his thing, is it?" Lily asked, looking at James with a soft smile. James grinned back.

"Not at all." A silence passed for a few moments, until James quietly spoke.

"Lily… Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah?"

"About earlier… What did you mean when you said you were sorry for not realizing it sooner?" Lily was quiet.

"I'm sorry for not realizing that you loved me," she said softly, looking him in the eyes. She could see his face turn redder by the second. He looked down at his shoes.

"Oh."

"If I had known earlier…" She trailed off, not knowing what to say. If she had known earlier, she wasn't sure what would have happened. Maybe nothing would have changed.

"Did I ever have a chance?" he asked, still looking down.

"Before this year, my answer would have been an outstanding no. But, a lot of things have changed this year. You've changed." He looked up at her, and the hope in his eyes was almost heart breaking.

"So, I do have a chance?" She let out a huff of frustration, and stood up.

"James, I just don't know right now! You've shown me a side of you that I didn't even realize existed. You have been so kind and calm and all around more mature these past few days. But I need to know that you can be mature all the time, not just occasionally."

"I can be mature!" James said, standing up and facing her.

"Saying it and actually doing it are two completely different things, James. This isn't something you can just tell me. I need to see you be mature. Show me that you can stop hexing everyone that mildly annoys you. Show me that when you pull a prank, it won't hurt anyone. Show me that this kindness you have won't go away tomorrow, or the next day."

Lily looked at him, and was startled by the look on his face. James took her hands, and looked into her eyes with pure determination.

"I will show you," he said. He kissed the top of her hands, and let them drop. James gave her one final look, and then went upstairs. Lily did the same.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry I've been MIA for a while, I went on vacation! I had almost no time to write, so I whipped this together in the past three days.**

**Oh, and thanks to everyone who favorited and reviewed, it means a lot to me :) **

The first thing James thought of when he woke the next morning was his conversation with Lily. She needed him to be more mature, and he would prove to her that he could be. James knew it would take time, and patience he didn't know if he had. Even if it took months for Lily to see he that could be mature, it would all be worth it in the end if she finally agreed to go out with him. That was all he could really hope for.

But, the more he really thought about it, the more he realized Lily was right. Pulling all those harmful pranks wasn't funny anymore. Hexing people wasn't funny anymore. It just seemed like a great waste of time and energy. It was time for him to be mature. It was time for him to grow up.

James looked around the room to find Sirius, Remus, and Peter gone.

'_They must have already gone to breakfast_,' he thought.

James got up, and searched for his school robes. They were nowhere to be found. His trunk had been completely emptied of all his clothes. It only took James a moment to realize who had done it, and why.

"Sirius, you prat."

James looked down at what he was wearing. Dark blue boxers. That was it. Frantically, he searched the other boys' trunks for clothes, but Sirius had thought of everything. They were all empty. Gritting his teeth, James headed for the Great Hall, where he knew Sirius would be waiting with his robes. His best friend would never give him his clothes until he had been properly humiliated.

Ignoring the stares of a few first years, James entered the Great Hall. He saw people turn to watch him as he trudged over to Sirius.

"Fine morning, isn't it Prongs?" Sirius called to him, with a huge smile on his face. Almost everyone in the hall was staring by the time James reached Sirius.

"Delightful," James replied through gritted teeth. "Now give me my clothes back."

"How rude! Coming in here and making demands. You should really learn some manners."

Behind Sirius, Remus and Peter were hiding grins. Lily hadn't come down to breakfast yet, James noticed with relief. His relief was short-lived when a voice spoke behind him, making him cringe, while Sirius burst into a fit of laughter.

"Hello, James," Lily said, and he could hear the laughter in her voice. He didn't dare turn around, or he would become even more embarrassed than he already was. He was quite certain that walking around Hogwarts in his boxers did not qualify as mature.

"Sirius took your clothes, didn't he?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Sirius..." Lily said, and the tone of her voice was stern. James could picture the look on her face and was glad he was not on the receiving end of it. Sirius stopped laughing, and in an instant, looked very guilty.

"Fine, here are your clothes," Sirius said, scowling at Lily and giving James his clothes. Quickly, James put on his pants and white dress shirt, but stopped short when he noticed his tie was undone.

"Ugh, Sirius! You undid my tie!" James said, frowning.

"So? Just do it up again," Sirius said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I can't. I don't know how. That's why I always leave them tied!"

"Oh, honestly, James," Lily said, walking in front of him and grabbing the tie out of his hand. She rolled her eyes as she slung it around his neck and tied it expertly.

"There," she said with a satisfied smile.

"Thanks," he mumbled in reply, a blush creeping up his neck.

'_This day could not get any more embarrassing,'_ James thought.

He took his seat next to Sirius, while Lily sat opposite him, at the corner of the table. Lily glanced around the room every three seconds or so, and James could tell she was looking for Ridrick.

"He's not here yet," Lily said with a mixture of anxiety and relief.

"It's alright, Lily. We're all here," James said to her, motioning to himself and his three friends.

"Yeah, just let that git try to come near you, and see what happens! Nobody hurts our Flower!" Sirius shouted dramatically.

James saw Lily roll her eyes at his exclamation, but there was a slight smile on her face as well. Suddenly, her smile vanished and her face drained of color. James whirled around, and saw Ridrick enter the Great Hall. He felt a sudden rush of fury overtake him, and without a second thought, stormed over to Ridrick.

As James neared him, Ridrick turned to face him. Ridrick's eyes narrowed at the sight of James approaching.

"Do you need something, Potter?" Ridrick spat.

"Yeah. I have a message from Lily. And a message from me." Quicker than James had thought possible, his fist connected with Ridrick's nose, and Ridrick fell to the ground.

"Lily is done with you. And if you ever touch her again, I will not hesitate to-"

"Mr. Potter!" Professor McGonagall's voice rung through the hall, cutting James off. She was marching towards him. James took a step away from Ridrick, who was glaring at him from the floor, and silently awaited his punishment. No matter how McGonagall decided to punish him, punching Ridrick had been worth it.

"Mr. Potter, I am extremely disappointed in you. Come with me, and we will discuss your punishment in my office." She grabbed his arm and led him to her office with a frown on her face.

"I am surprised at you," she began, once they were seated in her office. "You and Sirius Black have always been known for your mischief, but never violence. What caused you to act in such a way towards Mr. Danes?"

"Professor," James said, making a quick decision to tell the truth, "He broke Lily's wrist yesterday. I know it was wrong, but I couldn't just sit there and let him get away with it. I'm ready for whatever punishment you give me."

McGonagall was quiet for so long that James was sure she was concocting a horrendous punishment for him. Finally, she spoke.

"I will need to talk to Lily to verify what you have said; if it proves to be true, I will deal with Mr. Danes accordingly. As for you... While your intentions were noble, they were still inexcusable. Therefore, you shall spend a week serving detention with me, starting tomorrow."

"A week?" James said dumbly. He had received a longer punishment for planting dung bombs in the girl's bathroom.

"Yes, Mr. Potter. Unless you wish for more?"

"No, no!" he said, quickly, standing up to leave. "Um, thanks."

She nodded, and James walked out of her office. He couldn't believe he had gotten off that easy. He had expected at least a month's worth of detention. Instead, he had gotten a measly week. As he entered the Great Hall, the atmosphere shifted for the second time that morning because of him. People whispered as he walked by, and he caught snippets of conversation.

"Did you see him punch that guy, Ridrick?"

"I think he did it out of jealously. You know, because of Lily."

"I heard they got in a fight because of one of James' pranks!"

James hadn't even reached the table before Lily spotted him and jumped up.

"James!" she shouted, running to him and wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. James wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her lustrous hair. He could feel her hot breath on his chest and it made him shiver with delight. Detention for a week was definitely worth this.

"Thank you," she whispered into his chest.

"Alright, break it up you two! I need to know what happened! What awful punishment did McGonagall give you? Frankly, I'm surprised you came back here alive!" Sirius shouted, making Lily take a step back. James scowled at his best friend before sitting down and answering.

"I got a week's detention." Sirius stared blankly at him, while Remus and Peter looked confused. Lily just looked surprised.

"I'm sorry, mate," Sirius said, "I don't think I heard you right. I thought you just said a week."

"I did," James replied. Sirius had a look of utter confusion.

"But-"

"I know, I was shocked too. I think it's because I told her the truth. Sorry if you didn't want her to know, Lily." He gave her an apologetic look.

"It's fine," she said. "What did she say about it?"

"She said she would need to talk to you to get the full story, and that she would deal with Ridrick afterward."

"That's good," Lily said, looking relieved.

"A week?!" Sirius asked again, taking no account of the topic change. It was obvious to James that Sirius was going to go on about this for a while.

"Yes, Sirius. A week," James said slowly. Sirius furrowed his brow and huffed.

"How is it that you only get a week for _punching_someone, and I get a month for setting fireworks on all the teachers' desks?! If you ask me, your crime was much worse than mine!"

"Maybe because he's smart enough not to make all the teachers angry at once," Remus said, rolling his eyes. Sirius waved him off while James, Lily, and Peter laughed.

"McGonagall is coming over here," Peter suddenly whispered. They all turned to see the teacher walking over with a sullen look on her face.

"Lily, I need to speak to you. Please come with me to my office." With one last glance at James, Lily got up and followed McGonagall out of the Great Hall. James watched her go, and hoped he had done the right thing by telling the truth, for Lily's sake.

"We should head upstairs to the common room," Remus suggested. They all nodded, and left the Great Hall.

"You really only got a week?" Sirius asked as they entered the common room, making them all groan.

"Yes Sirius! I only got a week!" James shouted at his annoying friend. Shaking his head, James trudged up the stairs to their dormitory, and sprawled out on his bed. Sirius did the same on his bed next to James, while Remus and Peter sat on the floor between the beds.

"We should plan our next prank! It's been a full week since we came to school and we haven't pulled a single prank! Well, besides the war we have, Prongs," Sirius said.

"About that..." James began, knowing what he was about to say wouldn't go over well, especially with Sirius. "I think we should tone down our pranks a bit."

His three friends stared at him blankly for about five minutes. Finally, Remus spoke.

"I agree with James."

"WHAT?!" Sirius shouted. "How can you say that?! We are the Marauders! We are known for our pranks! We can't just _'tone them down'_! That's would completely ruin the reputation we have worked so hard to get!"

"Look, Padfoot, I just don't care about my reputation anymore. I'm sick of trying to be the center of attention all the time. What's it really gotten me, or any of us? A bunch of people who want to be our friends because they think it will make them popular. A bunch of girls who want to be with us because they think we will look good on their arms. It hasn't gotten us any real friends and it certainly hasn't gotten us any girls that want to actually be with us," James finished. Remus smiled encouragingly at him, Peter looked as though he wasn't quite sure what was going on, while Sirius had an unreadable expression on his face.

"This is about Lily," Sirius stated. He sounded hurt and betrayed.

"Lily told me that if I was more mature, I might actually have a chance with her. I want to be mature though, not just for her, but for me as well. I'm just sick of acting like a child. It's time to grow up."

"So, what now? No more pranks?"

"We can still pull pranks... But harmless ones. Something that everyone will find funny," James said.

"Ok, I can deal with that I guess," Sirius said, with a thoughtful look on his face. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and a mischievous grin spread across his face. "And I think I just thought of the perfect prank. It would be our most brilliant yet." Putting their heads together, the four began quietly discussing the new plan.

xxxxxxxxxx

Lily walked to the Gryffindor common room, still in shock about what had happened. Ridrick had gone crazy. After she had told Professor McGonagall about Ridrick's abuse, the furious professor had called Dumbledore to her office, where Lily retold the story to him. Dumbledore left without saying a word and returned minutes later with Ridrick and Professor Flitwick, the head of Ravenclaw. Dumbledore calmly explained that abuse was not tolerated at Hogwarts, and Ridrick must serve a month of detention.

And then Ridrick snapped. Lily had never been more frightened of him. The look in his eyes as he kicked Professor Flitwick away from him, elbowed the headmaster, and screamed profanities at her was utterly terrifying. It had all ended when McGonagall stupefied him. The teachers unanimously decided that Ridrick was a danger to others and he would, therefore, be expelled. Then they had sent Lily out.

She walked into the common room to find it filled with students, but the four boys she had been looking for were nowhere to be seen. She quickly slipped up the boy's dormitory steps and was in the doorway of James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter's room when she heard James shout "Brilliant!"

""What's brilliant?" she asked, causing the four boys to jump and look at her. James, who had been laying on his bed in a lazy fashion, sat up and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Nothing you need to know about right now, Flower," Sirius said to her, grinning. She rolled her eyes at him.

"So what happened?" Remus asked her.

"Yeah, come sit and tell us," James said, patting a spot next to him on his bed. Lily walked over to James' bed and gingerly sat down. She ran through the events that had occurred earlier, while the boys stared open-mouthed at her.

"He elbowed Dumbledore?" Peter asked incredulously.

"I think it broke his nose," Lily replied.

"Wow," James said. "At least he's gone now."

"Yeah," Lily said, looking relieved. It became silent for a few moments, everybody lost in their own thoughts.

Lily looked towards James while he stared out the window. She had to admit, he was good-looking. His black hair had an un-kept look about it, and despite herself, Lily found it charming. The light from the window was illuminating his eyes, and for the first time, Lily noticed the specks of gold that ran through his hazel eyes. Blushing, she thought of his lean muscles that had been on display that morning while he had stood in his boxers. She was so lost in thought, she didn't notice when Remus, Sirius, and Peter got up and left the room, or when James turned to look at her.

"What are you thinking about?" James asked, cutting her out of her thoughts.

"What?"

"What are you thinking about?" James repeated. Lily blushed. She could tell by the way James suddenly smiled that he had guessed what she had been thinking.

"Were you thinking about me, by any chance?" he said, still grinning broadly. Rolling her eyes, she got up and was about to leave when James suddenly appeared in her path.

"You didn't answer my question," he said, his voice soft.

He was too close to her. She could faintly smell his cologne, and it was making it difficult for her to concentrate. Was it just her, or was he moving closer? The sudden hot breath on her face answered her question. Vaguely, she wondered why he was coming closer. Then realization dawned on her. He was going to kiss her! Though she couldn't remember the reason, she knew that she didn't want to kiss him yet. Struggling to find her voice, she finally managed to breath out his name. He didn't seem to hear her.

"James," she tried again, this time taking a step back as well. "I'm sorry. I just-"

"It's fine. It's my fault," he said. He looked incredibly sad and defeated.

Not knowing what else to do, Lily said a quick goodbye and practically ran out the door and down the steps into the common room. Sirius, Remus, and Peter were all sitting by the fire, and looked at her strangely as she did a speed-walk to her dormitory. She wanted to talk to Alice, and hoped she was in their room. Thankfully, she was.

"Alice, can I talk to you?" Alice looked up from the book she had been reading, and smiled.

"Sure," Alice said, putting the book down.

"It's about James," Lily told her, blushing.

"What about James?"

"He tries to kiss me."

"Well, did you let him?" Alice asked. Lily shook her head.

"Why not?"

"Because... Because." Lily struggled to find a reason. "I don't know," she finally said.

Alice waited patiently while Lily thought about exactly why she hadn't let James kiss her.

"I don't think I'm ready for that yet. Besides, he hasn't proven to me that he can be mature. But, honestly, I'm afraid."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I don't want James to be my rebound."

"Do you think he is?" Alice asked. Lily blew out a breath.

"I don't know."

"Do you care about him?"

"Yeah, but how do I know if the feelings are real?"

"Just give it time, Lily," Alice told her.

"How much time?"

"Only you know that. Trust your instincts."

"But what if-" Alice cut her off.

"Don't worry, Lily. When the time is right, you'll know," Alice said, smiling at her.

"I hope so," Lily said.

"Oh," Alice said, jumping up, "I've been meaning to give you this." Alice rummaged through her trunk and pulled out something black. She threw it to Lily.

"What is it?"

"A skirt. It's too small for me, but I think it will fit you perfectly."

"It looks a little short," Lily said uncertainly, holding it up. Alice laughed.

"Just put it on. It's Saturday; you can wear it to Hogsmeade!"

"If it fits," Lily said.

"Fine, try it on, and I'll go find Frank and see if he wants to come to Hogsmeade with us."

Alice walked out the door, and Lily dug in her trunk for a shirt to wear with the black skirt. She decided on an emerald blouse with a deep v-neck, and got out her black flats for shoes. She put them on and looked at herself in the mirror. The skirt came to her mid-thigh, and hugged her body. It was a bit more revealing than the jeans she had on previously. Just as she was about to take the skirt off, Alice came through the door.

"I knew it would look great on you! Now come on, Frank, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter are waiting for us in the common room." Despite Lily's protests, Alice dragged Lily down the stairs into the common room where she was greeted by four males staring at her. James' jaw dropped. Frank, of course, only had eyes for Alice.

"Alice, can I please go change?" Lily whispered, blushing furiously.

"No way, Lily! You look amazing! Doesn't she?" Alice asked, directing the question mostly at James. It was Sirius who answered though.

"Flower, you look fantastic. I'm pretty sure I heard poor James' jaw hit the floor."

Lily looked at James and saw that he was looking at her as well. They both quickly looked away, blushing.

"You two make me sick," Sirius said, shaking his head. "So, what are we gunna do today?"

The group talked until they got to Hogsmeade, where they all split up. Lily, Alice, and Frank went to The Three Broomsticks to save seats for the large group while the other four boys went off to "get some things." Lily had been about to ask them what they were getting, but then decided against it. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know.

Lily, Alice, and Frank sat at a large booth in The Three Broomsticks. After about ten minutes, Lily and Alice went up to order drinks. On the way back, a tall, brown haired boy blocked their path. Lily vaguely recognized him, and thought his name started with a J, though she couldn't remember exactly.

"Excuse us, Jacob," Alice said politely. Ignoring her, Jacob looked to Lily.

"So, I heard you just broke up with Ridrick," he said.

"Yeah," Lily said, shooting a confused look at Alice, who just shrugged.

"Well, I know it may be too soon, but I was hoping you would give me the chance to show you how a _real _man treats a beautiful lady like you." He gave her a smile that was supposed to be charming, and put his hand on her shoulder.

"No, thank you," Lily said, trying to keep her composure. She could see Alice fighting back a grin.

"Excuse us," Alice said again, though this time it was not polite.

"If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me," Jacob said, moving aside, and winking at Lily as she walked past him. They managed to get to the table, where all five boys were now sitting, before bursting into laughter.

"What's so funny?" James asked.

"Jacob," Lily said, between laughs, causing Alice to laugh harder. The boys looked at each other, confused.

"I'll show you how a _real_ man treats a lady," Alice said, mocking Jacob's voice, and winking at Lily.

"I can't believe he expected to pick me up with that ridiculous line."

"Wait, someone actually used that line on you?" Sirius asked. Lily nodded in response, and he laughed.

They all drank their butterbeers and chatted. Lily kept glancing at James, and more often than not, would find him looking back at her, which caused them both to blush and look away. After one such occasion, Lily looked down at the table and found that she had downed many more butterbeers than she had previously thought. When they all stood up to leave, Lily felt a bit unsteady.

"Alright, Flower? You did drink a lot," Sirius said, as he watched Lily wobble the slightest bit.

"I'm fine," Lily replied, and was pleased that her voice was clear and strong.

Lily walked next to James, and this time, when he looked at her, she smiled back instead of looking away. He smiled too. She dropped back from the group a little, and James did the same, sensing she wanted to talk.

"James," she started, when they were a good distance from the rest of the group, "Are you okay? About earlier in your room?" He smiled sadly at her.

"You're asking me if I am okay with _almost_ getting to kiss you, the girl I've been in love with for years," he said, looking into her eyes. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do that, and then to be so close…"

For the second time that day, Lily forgot why she shouldn't kiss him. All she wanted to do was make the heartbroken look in his eyes go away. So, she did what she thought seemed right. She grabbed his arm, and spun him around so they were facing each other. Then she leaned up and lightly brushed her lips on his before pulling away. It was a short kiss, and Lily was afraid it might have been too short, but then she saw the look on James' face and knew it had been perfect for now. Lily had never seen someone look happier than he did right then.

"I couldn't stand that sad look in your eyes," she told him sincerely. "But that doesn't mean that I agree to go out with you yet." Lily saw his smile falter for the tiniest second.

"That's okay, I can wait," he said. "Though, the waiting would be easier if I had another kiss." He waggled his eyebrows at her, causing her to roll her eyes and push him away.

"Don't push it," she said, and began walking to catch up with the group. James walked beside her, and Lily could see he had a little extra bounce to his step. He was still radiating happiness when they walked through the common room door.

"What's the matter with you, Prongs? Why are you so… happy?" Sirius asked suspiciously. James just smiled in reply and went up to his dormitory. Sirius looked at Lily, and narrowed his eyes.

"What did you do to him?" Lily laughed.

"I'm sure he'll tell you eventually," she said as she walked up her own dormitory steps.

"Those two, I swear!" she heard him shout as she climbed into bed. She fell asleep almost immediately.

xxxxxxxxxx

James awoke the next morning, happier than he had been in a while. Lily had actually kissed him yesterday, though she still didn't want to go out with him. James made a mental note to talk to her about that later. It would have to be after the prank he and his friends had planned, which was going to happen this morning. Quickly, James got dressed, and woke up his sleeping friends.

"WAKE UP!" James shouted into Sirius' ear, earning a pillow to the face. "We have to be in the Great Hall before they serve breakfast!"

Reluctantly, Sirius got up, as did Remus and Peter. The four boys hurriedly got dressed and raced down to the Great Hall. Their master prank was going to be unveiled in a matter of minutes. James saw Lily walk in with Alice and Frank, and waved her over to sit with him. She took a seat next to him just as the food appeared. James and his friends exchanged excited glances. Sirius began whispering a countdown next to James.

"Five, four, three, two, one." No sooner had Sirius said one, a chorus of gasps and small squeals filled the Great Hall. Next to James, Lily let out a gasp of her own. Starting from her mouth, a dark blue was spreading across her skin until it covered every inch of her body. The same thing was happening to almost everyone else, though with different colors.

"James! Did you do this?" James just smiled and nodded.

"It's in the food," he told her, taking a bite of food himself. Slowly, he turned a bright red. That had been part of the plan. Prank _everyone_. Including themselves, and the teachers. That was why it was their most brilliant yet. There was no target, no one person or group of people isolated or humiliated. And since they were turning colors themselves, nobody could pin it on them, which was probably the best part.

Lily laughed, and James was happy to hear the Great Hall fill with laughter from everyone else. Sirius let out a hearty laugh, and James turned to find that Sirius had turned an incredibly dark shade of black. Only by squinting, could James make out any features on Sirius' face, other than his eyes. Remus had turned purple, and Peter had turned a strange shade of green. The friends laughed at each other, and themselves.

"Doesn't this feel better?" Lily asked James.

"What do you mean?"

"This prank. Making everyone laugh instead of just a few people." James looked around at all the smiling faces. Not one person looked upset.

"Yeah, I guess this does feel better. It's our best prank so far."

"And no one had to get hurt," Lily said, smiling.

"Yeah," James agreed. He looked at Lily and smiled. "You know something?"

"What?" Lily asked.

"You are the cutest Smurf I've ever seen," he told her. Lily rolled her eyes, but James could see her trying to hide her smile.

"What a way to start a Sunday morning!" a hot pink Dumbledore shouted, standing behind the teachers' desk at the front of the room. "Many thanks to the unknown masterminds behind this prank." The Great Hall erupted in cheers.

"But, unfortunately, we must carry on with the rest of the day in our normal skin tones." Dumbledore clapped his hands twice, and suddenly, everyone looked normal again. Several students groaned.

"Best prank ever!" Sirius said, grinning broadly.

"Agreed," James, Remus, and Peter said simultaneously.

"Hey guys," Alice said from behind James. He turned and greeted her.

"So, did you do that prank?" she asked, receiving nods from all four boys. "Nice. Anyway, I just came over to talk to Lily."

"What is it?" Lily asked her.

"Well, Stanly Wes wants to know if you'll go out with him." Whipping his head towards Alice and Lily, James watched Lily's reaction. Her face became contorted with confusion.

"Who?" she asked.

"Stanly Wes. He's right down there in the blue shirt," Alice said, pointing to an extremely thin boy with blond hair. Stanly waved and smiled at Lily, who just looked away.

"I've never even seen that guy before!" Lily exclaimed. James let out a sigh of relief. Lily was not going to say yes to this guy.

"I knew you wouldn't go out with him, but he wanted me to ask you anyway."

"Why didn't he ask me himself?" Lily asked.

"I guess he's shy," Alice said, shrugging. "I'll just go tell him you said no. See you later!"

"Bye," Lily said to her.

James looked at Lily, conflicted. He wasn't sure how to feel. On one hand, he was glad Lily had turned Stan down. But, on the other hand, he was worried about all the guys that suddenly seemed interested in Lily. Two people had asked her out in the past two days. Sirius- who was known to be a ladies' man- didn't even get asked out that much. What if, before James had a chance to prove himself, a nice guy asked Lily out? Would she say yes? And what about the kiss? It had meant a great deal to James, but what had it meant to her?

"James," Lily said, cutting him out of his thoughts as she always seemed to do. "You're staring at me again."

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I was thinking."

"What were you thinking about?"

"Can we talk outside?" he asked. She nodded, though she looked confused. James led her to his favorite tree out on the grounds, where they sat down under the shade.

"Well… I was thinking about you. And the fact that you have been asked out twice now," he told her, meeting her eyes. She seemed to understand, just through the simple gaze.

"You can't think I would say yes to any of those guys," she said incredulously. He remained quiet, not knowing what to say.

"James," she said sternly, "I am not going to go out with anyone else right now, and I don't want to. It wouldn't be fair of me. I'm waiting this out."

"But why? Why are you still waiting? Yesterday, _you_ kissed _me_. I thought… I thought you had changed your mind about me. But then you told me we were still just friends, and I tried to play it off, but I don't understand. Why did you kiss me if it didn't mean anything to you?"

"It meant a lot to me!"

"Then why aren't we together?"

"Because I don't want to hurt you!" she nearly shouted. James was taken aback.

"How would you hurt me?" he asked, bewildered.

"Ridrick hurt me. But then, you were there, and everything was okay," she said, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her head on her knees. "I don't want that to go away. I don't want you to be just a rebound. I can't do that to you."

Again, James was stunned. He had never even considered that he might be a rebound for her. But he knew that she was right. He had helped her when she was most vulnerable, and that put him in danger of being her rebound. James knew with every fiber of his being that once he had Lily, it would have to be forever. If she only liked him because he had saved her, then that might just be the end of James Potter.

"James, I need time to sort everything out," she said.

"I can give you time. As much as you want. I need you to be sure. I can't take any more rejection or disappointment," he told her earnestly.

"I know, and I'm sorry I've put you through so much already."

"It's fine. A few more weeks won't kill me," he said, giving her a cheeky grin.

She rolled her eyes, but smiled as she stood up. Lily walked to him, leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. Then she walked to the castle, leaving him sitting under the tree. After a few minutes, James realized he was late for detention with McGonagall, and sprinted to the castle as well.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm sorry this took me so long. I was extremely busy these last two weeks, and I know that's a lame excuse, but it's the only one I've got so don't hate me! **

**Also, I noticed that I had stupidly put that this was set during their fifth year. I have no idea why I wrote that; it doesn't make sense at all. So just to clarify, this takes place in their SIXTH YEAR. Sorry for the mistake!**

It had been three weeks since Lily and James had talked under the big beech tree. Lily kept waiting for her feelings towards James to lessen, or go away completely, but they didn't. She was quite certain they were getting stronger. With every passing day, James showed that he had truly matured. He didn't shout out in class anymore. He did his homework on time. His pranks were simple, yet funny and harmless. He genuinely cared about other people's well-being. He had become everything Lily had ever wanted in a guy. So why was she still questioning it?

She sat up and silently groaned. It was five in the morning, and there was no way she could go back to sleep now.

Maybe a walk, she thought, looking outside. It was barely light out, but it was enough for her to see. She quickly got dressed and tried not to wake the other girls as she crept downstairs. She walked soundlessly to the front doors and then outside. It was a cool morning, and Lily was glad for the heavy sweater and jeans she had on under her robe. She sauntered along the lake's edge. Lily was so lost in thought that, until she tripped on a tree root and fell to the ground, she had not realized how close to the Forbidden Forest she had walked. She looked up from the place on the ground she had fallen and felt a shiver run through her. The forest loomed darkly in front of her, and she could have sworn she had seen a pair of eyes staring from within the darkness.

Giving herself a mental shake, Lily stood up, and was about to turn away from the forest when she heard distant voices.

"Where'd he go?" the first voice asked. Lily was quite sure it was male, and it sounded vaguely familiar.

"I don't know! He broke down the door of the shack and took off into the forest!" This one was also male, also familiar, but she couldn't place either of them.

"He's going to change any minute now! We have to find him!"

_'What are they talking about?' _Lily wondered, turning towards the castle to go inside. Maybe a walk hadn't been the best idea. Lily had barely taken a step when she felt a presence behind her. Every instinct in her body told her not to turn around; to just run as fast as she could into the castle. But, there was something about the way the thing behind her was breathing. It sounded labored, in pain. Slowly, Lily turned to face the presence. Her eyes widened, more in shock than fear.

Standing before her was a large wolf-like creature. It was a creature she had only seen in books, and muggle horror films. A werewolf. Its great snout was a mere foot from her face. Large amber eyes were staring into her green ones. Large amber eyes that Lily recognized.

"Remus?" Lily whispered, though she didn't expect a response. She knew that werewolves changed involuntarily and they didn't remember who they were once they had changed. The werewolf's eyes flashed, becoming less animalistic, and Lily wondered if somehow, Remus _had_recognized her.

Suddenly, the werewolf let out a low snarl, and staggered away from her. It took Lily a moment to realize that Remus was about to change back into himself. She watched, powerless, as Remus slowly turned human. The werewolf fell behind a large tree, and Lily heard a loud ripping sound, and then nothing. She walked around the tree and found Remus, lying on his stomach. His eyes were closed.

"Remus?" she called hesitantly. Remus' eyes shot open. Seeing Lily, he quickly stood up, but didn't look at her.

"You don't have to come closer, Lily. It's alright, I understand."

"Remus, what are you talking about? I want to help you." Taking off her robes, she carefully held it out to Remus. "Take my robes. It's freezing, and you've only got a t-shirt and shorts on."

Remus hesitantly took it, and after putting it on, came to stand next to her, looking extremely sad and nervous. She could see anguish in his eyes.

"Are you okay? Are you in pain?" she asked him, worried.

"I'm not in pain," he said.

"But you're not okay." She said it as a statement.

"I could have killed you."

"But you didn't," she said, putting her arm on his shoulder.

"I could have! I can't control myself when I'm a werewolf! I'm a monster, Lily! Don't you see?" he shouted, shrugging her away.

"No! I _don't_see! All I see is you. I saw you, even when you were in werewolf form. You're eyes are the same. It shows me that you're in there somewhere. And even though you can't control your werewolf form, you're still not a monster. Monsters hurt people intentionally. Monsters are people like Ridrick. He hurt me so he would have control over me, so I would fear him. And I know you would never ever do that to someone consciously. I'm staying right here. I'm still your friend, Remus. Nothing will ever change that." He looked startled by how fiercely she had spoken. His amber eyes slowly became happier, and he gave her a soft smile.

"Thanks, Lily," he said. She reached up and hugged him.

Suddenly, a stag, dog, and rat appeared from the forest, causing Lily to step away from Remus and stare wide-eyed at the unusual scene. Remus chuckled at her expression. She looked at him questioningly as he gave a wave to the three animals.

"What-" She stopped short. The stag, dog, and rat were morphing before her eyes. In a matter of seconds, it was no longer animals that stood before her, but humans.

"James? Sirius? Peter?" she shrieked.

"Hey," James said, nonchalantly.

"Are you animagi?" she asked incredulously.

"Yup! Bet you didn't expect that, did ya?" Sirius said.

"But... But how?" Lily sputtered. Sirius put on a mock look of hurt.

"I'm offended that you would think us incapable of accomplishing such a feat!" Lily raised an eyebrow at him, but decided not to respond. Instead, she turned to James and Remus.

"So, how long has this all been going on?" she asked curiously.

"Well, I've been a werewolf the whole time I've been here."

"And once we found out he was a werewolf, we decided to become animagi. So we could safely be with him during the full moon," James explained. Lily nodded. It was a lot to take in all at once.

"So, you guys just run around here once a month?" she asked, motioning around her.

"Well... No, not exactly," James said.

"Dumbledore made a tunnel for me from the base of the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack. That way I could go there for my transformation, and not be a danger to anyone. He doesn't know about these guys being animagi though."

"I see," Lily said. The wind picked up, blowing cold air right through her clothes. She shivered.

"Let's go inside," James said, noticing her shiver. They all nodded in agreement. James put a warm arm around Lily's shoulder, and she leaned into him as they walked.

"Lily, you're bleeding!" Peter said suddenly, eyes trained on her knee. She felt James tense, and saw Sirius do the same. Remus looked as though he were about to be sick. Lily looked down and examined her knee.

"Calm down everyone. I'm fine. I just tripped over a tree root earlier; I must have cut my knee and not realized it."

Lily felt James relax, and Remus gave her a relieved smile. They walked the rest of the way to the common room in silence. Sirius, Peter, and Remus immediately went upstairs to their dormitory, but James stayed behind, and Lily sensed he wanted to talk. She was right; as soon as the other three boys were out of earshot, he turned to look at her.

"Are you okay?"

"A bit shocked, is all," she told him earnestly.

"You're not hurt then? He didn't... do anything, right?"

"No, James. I'm fine, really. The worst he did was breathe on me and I-" James cut her off.

"He was that close to you?" James asked with wide eyes. "Something could have happened to you!" Lily through her hands up in frustration.

"You're as bad as Remus!" she nearly shouted. "As you can see, I am perfectly fine."

"Next time you might not be so lucky! If Remus hadn't been about to change, he probably would have attacked you!"

"Well, he didn't." They stood glaring at each other for a solid minute before James looked away and began pacing. When he faced her again, she could see the tiredness in his eyes.

"Just promise me you won't go outside at night again?"

"It was five in the morning; I would hardly call that night." He frowned.

"Look, Lily. This isn't just about me wanting you safe. This is about Remus too. I know you wouldn't be upset with him if something accidentally happened while he was a werewolf, but he would be. He would never be able to live with himself if something happened to you, and frankly, neither would I. So please, just promise you won't go outside when it's dark anymore."

Reluctantly, she nodded. She hated being treated like an incapable child, but she knew James was right, and she would never want Remus to have to live with the guilt of hurting her.

"You should get some sleep before breakfast," James told her. She waved him off.

"I wouldn't be able to go to sleep now, even if I wanted to."

"Yeah, I don't sleep after nights like these either," he said, and looked at his watch. "It's 6:15 which means we've got almost two hours till breakfast. What should we do?" Lily shrugged.

"What do you want to do?"

"Well, I can think of a few things," he said, waggling his eyebrows at her and grinning. Lily rolled her eyes at him, causing his grin to widen.

"Okay, okay," he said, "how about we start that Defense Against the Dark Arts essay?"

"Yeah, sure." Lily quickly ran upstairs to get her parchment and notes while James did the same. They met back in the common room and started their essays. After some time, Lily looked up at James. He was staring at his parchment, brows furrowed, with unwavering concentration. She smiled, thinking that he looked incredibly cute like that.

"You really like this subject, don't you?" she asked him. He looked startled for a moment, as if he had forgotten she was there, but then smiled at her.

"Yeah," he said, "It's my favorite subject."

"I thought so."

"It's my best subject too, which is good cause I want to be an Auror after I graduate."

"An Auror?" she asked, creasing her brow. He looked at her curiously.

"Yeah."

"Isn't that dangerous? I mean, you could get hurt or... worse," she finally managed. Understanding dawned on his face, followed by a smug grin.

"Worried about me, are you?" he said, eyes twinkling.

"Yes," she said, looking in his eyes. The grin fell from his face, all trace of laughter gone.

"I'll be alright, Lily. You don't have to worry about me." He took her hand and squeezed it lightly. "Besides, that's not for another few years. You shouldn't waste time worrying about it now."

Lily nodded, and went back to her essay, though she wasn't exactly comforted. He was right about one thing though; she shouldn't worry about this now. She and James weren't even dating! She shouldn't be worrying about what he was going to do after Hogwarts! Giving herself a mental shake, she focused on her essay.

Before she knew it, it was time for breakfast. Lily had just completed her essay, as had James, when Sirius came bounding into the common room. He stopped when he saw them.

"You guys are doing _homework_?" he asked, baffled.

"Some people actually care about their future, Sirius," she told him, and laughed at the expression he gave her. Remus, followed closely by Peter, came down the steps then.

"Let's go eat; I'm starving," suggested James, and all five headed down to the Great Hall.

xxxxxxxxxx

When they got to the Great Hall, Lily broke away from the boys to sit with Alice and a few of her other friends. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter sat in their usual seats at the end of the table.

"So, you and Lily seem to be making some progress," Sirius said, nudging James as they sat down. James grinned and nodded.

"Better watch out though," Sirius said in a stage whisper, "I think Moony is out to get your girl! Did you see them hugging this morning?" James rolled his eyes, knowing that Lily and Remus had a purely platonic relationship.

"I'll have you know that _she_ hugged _me_," Remus told them, smiling. But then his smile vanished and he looked at them seriously.

"She's so kind, James. She's the only person who's ever made me feel... like I'm not a monster."

"Aw, Moony! We've told you that hundreds of times!" Sirius exclaimed.

"I know, and I'm grateful to you guys for that, really. But I never believed it. Everyone is terrified that I'll hurt them, even you guys sometimes. But she just stood there. And when I looked into her eyes, I didn't see fear or repulsion or prejudice. For the first time in my life, I saw compassion."

"She is amazing," James said, happy that his friend finally seemed to feel at ease with his transformation. Remus nodded in agreement.

"It's too early in the morning for all this mushiness!" Sirius exclaimed loudly, causing a few first years to look strangely at Sirius. When he noticed their stares, he grinned madly at them.

"Don't you think this bread is far too mushy?!" He picked up the bread and waved it around in a very crazy manner, staring at them. The group of first years quickly got up and scurried off, frightened. Peter squeaked with laughter.

"Knock it off, Padfoot. There is no reason to scare the first years," Remus scolded.

"Yes, but," Sirius replied, "there is no reason not too!" Remus shook his head, and sighed at his friend's logic.

"Let's get to class," suggested James, and they all got up and left the Great Hall.

Once they were all settled in Defense Against the Dark Arts, the professor came bustling in.

"Today," the professor began, "we are going to learn about the Patronus Charm. Now, the Patronus is an extremely advanced type of magic used to expel dark creatures, such as dementors. In order to cast a successful Patronus, a happy memory is needed. This memory must be a powerful one, or the Patronus will not take its true form. The form of a Patronus represents one's soul. If two people have the same Patronus form in different genders, then it stands to reason that they are soul mates. For example, my Patronus is a lion, while my wife's is a lioness. Therefore, we are soul mates. Now, everyone stand up! I will demonstrate how to conjure a Patronus, and then we shall try it two at a time."

The professor stood, and inhaled deeply before shouting "Expecto Patronum!" A great silver lion appeared and ran about the room before disappearing into a swirl of mist. After more detailed instructions on the wand movement, the professor looked around.

"Who wants to go first?" he asked the room. Sirius stood up.

"I will," he said, going to the front of the room with a cocky smile. It was obvious he had conjured a Patronus before.

"Good! Let's see… Sarah!" the professor pointed to a small brown haired Ravenclaw in the back of the room, "why don't you come up as well." Sarah nervously made her way to the front of the room and stood next to Sirius.

"On the count of three. One, two, three!" Sirius and Sarah shouted the incantation. A mist came out of Sarah's wand, and then disappeared. Out of Sirius' came a large dog that jogged around the room.

"Excellent Sirius! And don't you worry, Sarah. That was a wonderful first try! Who's next?"

The professor called more people up, and James watched, curious about everyone's Patronus form. Only one other student conjured a successful Patronus; her Patronus took the form of a hawk.

"James, you're up! And," the professor scanned the room, "Lily!"

James smiled at Lily as he walked to the front of the room. Like Sirius, he had also conjured a Patronus before. His was the same as his animagus form, a stag. The professor counted down, and James let his happy memory fill him. It was a tidbit of a memory, really. James didn't even remember the whole thing. He and Lily had been in the common room. He must have said something funny, because she had turned to him and smiled the biggest smile he had ever seen, her eyes lit up, and she laughed. It had been the first time she had genuinely smiled at him, and he had never seen anything more beautiful.

James heard himself say the incantation. A stag appeared out of his wand. Next to the stag, was something that made his jaw drop. It was a silver doe. They pranced around the room together, finally disappearing in one large mist. Distantly, he heard a chorus of gasps and whispers from the other students, but James ignored them. He looked at Lily to find that she was already looking at him. He waited for her to say something, but she just stared at him, wearing a mask of shock on her face. James didn't know how long they stood like that, but after what seemed like an eternity, the professor cleared his throat.

"Well, that was interesting! Let's have a new pair, shall we?" The professor all but pushed Lily and James to their seats, calling two more students up.

James walked the rest of the way to his seat in somewhat of a daze. He had always loved Lily. He had always thought that she was the one for him. But, to have it proven in front of the whole class… It was a bit much. James sat down and was immediately bombarded by his three friend's excited whispers.

"I always knew you guys were meant to be together!" whispered Peter.

"You look a little green, mate. You alright?" Remus asked.

"Now she will definitely say yes to you!" Sirius exclaimed in a not-so-quiet whisper.

James said nothing in reply; instead, he looked in Lily's direction. She looked as dazed as he felt, and her friends seemed to be attacking her the same way his had. He could see her blush reddening by the second. Suddenly, everyone around him was getting up. It took him a moment to realize class was over. Numbly, James got up and followed his friends out of the classroom.

"Are you going to?" Sirius was looking at him expectantly.

"Going to what?" James asked.

"Ask Lily out!" Sirius shouted, exasperated.

"What am I supposed to say? 'Oh, hey, Lily. I was just wondering if you would go out with me, ya know, cause our Patronus forms match and everything.'"

"Well, when you put it like that…" Sirius said, huffing.

"There's no rush," Remus said, "Lily said she likes you. She just needs time."

"It's been three weeks since she said that! How much time does she need?" Sirius exclaimed.

"Padfoot, I don't care how much time she needs. I'd wait forever for her."

"Well, I still think you should ask her out," Sirius muttered as they entered the common room.

Lily and her friends were sitting by the fireplace talking, when the four boys came in. The moment they saw the boys, they instantly stopped talking. The two groups were engulfed in an awkward silence.

"Well, I think I'll go finish that homework now. See you later, Lily," one girl said finally, getting up and leaving the common room. The rest of the girls followed, leaving Lily sitting alone. She frowned at them as they left.

"I think we'll go as well. Have a nice talk, James!" Sirius winked at James before dragging Remus and Peter up the stairs to their dormitory.

The awkward silence continued. James had no clue what to say, and it seemed that neither did Lily.

"So…" James said, running his hand through his hair, "Uh… Have you ever conjured a Patronus before today?"

"No, that was my first time," replied Lily.

"Oh, wow. That's really impressive," he told her earnestly.

"Thanks." She looked at him and quickly turned her gaze to the floor.

"Must have been a really happy memory," James said, trying to keep the conversation going. He saw Lily's face turn bright red.

"It was," she mumbled.

"Mind telling me what it was?"

"I'd rather not," she said, turning redder.

"Aw, come on. Please? It can't be that bad." She looked him in the eyes and sighed, casting her eyes down again.

"Well… it was of you and me… when we were coming back from Hogsmeade that one time."

"Us _kissing_ was your happy memory?" James asked, sure he had misunderstood. Lily's nod told him he hadn't. Without thinking, James strode over to Lily so he was standing less than a foot from her. She looked startled at how quickly he had appeared before her.

"Lily," he said softly. He gently lifted her head so she was looking at him. Her green eyes were wide, showing all her anxiety, fear, nervousness, and anticipation. James took a small step, closing the distance between them, and brought his lips to hers. This kiss was nothing like the first. All the built up emotions they had came pouring out into this one passionate kiss. James wrapped his arms around Lily's waist as she brought her hands to his hair. They broke apart after what seemed like an eternity. James grinned widely at Lily, not letting go of her waist.

"Well, I have my new happy memory," James said happily. Lily smiled back at him. After a few minutes of silence, Lily spoke.

"I'm surprised you haven't asked me out yet," Lily said. James' grin widened.

"Lily Evans, will you go out with me?"

"Yes I will," she replied, kissing him. They were still smiling stupidly at one another when they heard someone come down the stairs and give a loud "Oh!" James turned to see Alice standing there.

"Sorry!" she said, "I was just coming to see if you were ready to help me with Potions, but I see that you are occupied. It's fine, we can do it later."

"Oh no, Alice, I'm so sorry! I forgot. We can do it right now though, it's no problem!" Lily gave James an apologetic smile before going off with Alice to their dormitory.

James felt like he was floating as he walked up the stairs to his own dormitory. Remus, Sirius, and Peter, who were all lounging on their beds, looked up at James when he walked in. Sirius burst into laughter at the sight of James' deliriously happy expression.

"I'm guessing the talk went well," Sirius finally managed to get out. James just nodded.

"Did you ask her out?" questioned Sirius.

"Yup," James replied.

"And?"

"She said yes."

"About time!" At this, all four boys laughed. James plopped down on his bed and let out a content sigh. This day could not get any better.

xxxxxxxxxx

Lily and Alice had just finished working on Potions when the rest of the girls came bouncing into their dormitory. Lily was bombarded with questions instantly.

"How'd it go?"

"Are you dating?"

"Did you guys kiss?" Lily laughed at her friends' enthusiasm.

"It went well. We are dating, and yes, we did kiss." Shrieks of happiness filled the room. The girls talked for what seemed like hours, and though Lily loved her friends, she didn't love gossip, so the first chance she got, she pulled out a book and withdrew herself from the conversation. She had been reading for quite some time when one of the louder girls said something that caught her attention.

"Wait, what did you just say?" Lily asked.

"I said that over the summer, my mom stumble across a flower patch, and was going to pick some to bring home, but it was a good thing I was there because the flowers were wolfsbane and they're really poisonous."

"Of course!" Lily shouted, jumping up. She ran down the stairs, leaving her very confused friends staring after her. Lily sprinted to the boy's dormitory door and began knocking quickly.

"Hey, it's Lily! Are you guys in there? Open up, it's really important!"

"Maybe she changed her mind about you, Prongs," she heard someone mutter. James opened the door, looking confused.

"Lily? What-" He stopped short when Lily shoved past him and began pacing the room.

"I have the perfect solution! I can't believe I didn't remember it earlier! Slughorn mentioned it last year at his Christmas party, though I'm sure he wasn't supposed to; he was quite drunk that year. I just hope he has the directions and ingredients listed somewhere in his office; we'll have to steal it from him, which I am not looking forward to, but I will just this once because this is rather important and-"

"Lily!" James said, cutting her off, "What are you talking about?"

"Wolfsbane Potion!" All four boys' faces became contorted with confusion.

"It's a potion for werewolves. It allows them to keep their mind during and after their transformation."

The room became silent; not even breathing could be heard. Remus looked stunned, as if he weren't sure if he were in a dream or not. Sirius was the first to say something.

"This is great!" he shouted, and everyone seemed to come out of their trance.

"I would be able to keep my mind! I would remember where I was, and who I was, and I would remember you guys! I would be in control! That-" Remus took a deep breath. "That would be so incredible."

Lily smiled, and sat down with the boys as they began making plans for their raid of Slughorn's office.

"There is a teacher's meeting tomorrow afternoon; I overheard McGonagall talking about it during my detention," Sirius said.

"We'll have to get the ingredients then, while he's not there."

"We can't all go, though," Remus said reasonably. "We wouldn't all fit under the cloak and we would be too noticeable without the cloak."

"Lily and I will go," James said, and the other three boys nodded. Lily tried to protest, but they ignored her.

The next day, classes seemed to go by slower than ever. Lily was nervous about breaking into Slughorn's office, and just wanted to get it over with. James repeatedly tried to assure her that they wouldn't get caught, but she couldn't help but be worried. She had even tried to back out, and suggested that Sirius go in her place, but they wouldn't agree to it.

"We haven't been in Slughorn's office as much as you have. And besides, you know what to look for. We have no clue."

Reluctantly, Lily had finally agreed to go along with their plan. Right after their final class, James and Lily snuck off to an empty corridor and donned the cloak. Silently, they crept to Slughorn's office, and waited for Slughorn to leave for the meeting. After a few agonizing minutes, Slughorn walked out of his office and down the hall. Lily and James quickly snuck in. Once safely in the office, they pulled of the invisibility cloak and began their search. Lily immediately went for his cabinet. She knew that's where he kept most of his potion recipes. She looked through all the files there, but found nothing referring to Wolfsbane. Just as she was about to give up and search somewhere else, she saw a corner of a piece of paper jutting out from underneath the files in the cabinet. Carefully, she removed paper, and read it over.

"I found it!" she called to James. He came over, and they divided the list of ingredients so each of them was responsible for getting half. Just as Lily had picked up her last ingredient, she heard Slughorn's voice from the hallway. James reacted quickly, running over to her and skillfully throwing the cloak on them with one hand while the other held his set of ingredients. He guided them over to the door so they could make a run for it as soon as possible. Slughorn entered his office, and James and Lily slid easily through the open door into the hallway.

"Oh gosh!" Lily exclaimed, once they were a safe distance away and had removed the cloak, "We almost got caught! Oh my gosh! That was so close! We could have gotten detention! We could have-"

Suddenly, James was kissing her, breaking her off mid-sentence. He pulled away and smiled.

"What was that for?" she asked, baffled.

"You're cute when you're worried," he said simply, and began walking to the boy's dormitory, where Remus, Sirius, and Peter were waiting for them.

**I'm thinking I'll probably write one more chapter after this, and then the story will be complete. I'll try to get it done as soon as possible!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I am a horrible human being! **** Three weeks is way too long; I am so sorry! Writer's block and school are to blame. But, here it is, the last chapter (finally).**

The Wolfsbane took three attempts to get it right. Even for Lily- who had the second highest grade for Potions in their year- the Wolfsbane was difficult to brew. The first attempt had been a complete failure. It was not the right color, texture, or consistency. The second had been better; the consistency was only a little thicker than it needed to be. On the third and final try, Lily thought she had gotten it right. Since there was no way to test it, Lily had to rely on how it looked and smelled. It seemed to match up with what Slughorn had told her.

James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were all sitting in the boy's dormitory. It was a week before the full moon, and Lily had just finished brewing the Wolfsbane correctly. She handed a cup of dark brown liquid to Remus.

"You have to drink it every day this week, otherwise it won't work," Lily told Remus, and he nodded his head, taking the glass.

"That smells bloody awful," Sirius commented, wrinkling his nose. Remus looked down at the muddy-looking potion, raised his glass, and downed it in three gulps. When he pulled the glass from his lips, his face was contorted with disgust.

James couldn't help but laugh at his expression. Remus scowled at him, which only caused James to laugh harder.

"James! Be nice!" Lily said, smacking him on the arm. James could tell it was only a half-hearted smack; he could see the slight smirk playing on her lips. Grinning, he pulled his girlfriend closer and turned to Remus.

"Sorry, mate." Remus nodded in response.

"That tastes worse than it smells," Remus said, eyeing his empty cup with dislike. "If it works, though, it will be worth it."

"Guess we'll find out next week on the full moon," Sirius said. They all nodded. James knew how much was resting on this potion. If it worked, it would change Remus' life. James hoped, for Remus' sake, that the potion was not a disappointment.

"So," Lily started, looking at the boys, "Can I come with you guys next week? To see if it works?"

All four boys looked at her wearily.

"Lily…" James said, giving her a look. "It's too dangerous. I'm sorry."

"But I can handle myself! Please? Just this once?" Lily looked to Remus. He gave her an apologetic expression.

"I'm afraid I agree with James. It's way too dangerous out there."

"Oh, come on! I made the potion! Shouldn't I at least be able to see if it works?"

"Lily, if it doesn't work, then you would be in danger from me as a werewolf."

"Yeah, there's no way I'm letting you come until we know it works for sure," James said. He saw Lily struggle to think of a rebuttal.

"Why don't you just wait someplace safe, and then if it works, we could come get you," Sirius suggested. James toyed with the idea for a minute, and decided that Lily would be safe that way. He saw that Lily also seemed to think it was a good idea.

"Where would I wait?" The boys exchanged thoughtful glances.

"How about the main entrance of the school?" Remus suggested.

"What if a teacher walks by?"

"You could use my Invisibility Cloak. That way you'd be safe from teachers and…" James trailed off.

"And from me," Remus finished.

It got quiet for a moment, nobody knowing quite what to say.

"Well, I can deal with waiting by the doors, I guess," Lily said finally. James grinned at her.

"It's settled then," he said to her. She nodded and smiled. James had a sudden urge to kiss her then, so without hesitation, he planted a quick kiss on her lips.

"Gross!" Sirius shouted, causing James to grin madly and Lily to roll her eyes.

"Jealous, Padfoot?" James said with a smirk. Sirius scowled at him.

"Definitely not. I could never be all lovey-dovey like you two. It sickens me!" Sirius exclaimed. James just chuckled and shook his head.

"Sirius, one day you're going to meet a girl, and fall head over heels for her. Then you'll understand," Lily said knowingly. Sirius snorted.

"Not gunna happen, Flower. Sirius Black does _not_fall in love," he said. Lily rolled her eyes again, muttering a "We'll see" and standing up. James looked at her questioningly.

"I told Alice I'd meet her later to do homework. I'll see you later," she said. She gave James a kiss and walked out of the dormitory. James watched her retreating form until she disappeared completely, and then turned to see his friends staring at him.

"What?"

"You are ridiculous," Sirius told him.

"Why?" James asked, confused.

"Because you've barely been dating a month, and you already act like you would die without her."

"We've only been dating a month, but I've loved her for five years. Of course I would die without her," James told him seriously.

"That's why I'm never going to fall in love," Sirius said.

"Well, I didn't exactly choose to be in love with Lily. It just happened. It wasn't something I could control, or stop, even if I wanted to."

"But you never wanted to," Sirius pointed out.

"No, I never wanted to. Loving Lily feels like breathing to me. It's natural. Instinctual. Just... _Right_."

"So, what, are you going to propose to her now?" Sirius said sarcastically.

"Well, actually..." James said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Mate?" Sirius said wearily. Instead of answering, James got up and rummaged through his trunk. He pulled out a small velvet box.

"IS THAT A-" Sirius began shouting, but James cut him off.

"A wedding ring? Yeah."

"You're going to propose?!" Sirius yelled incredulously.

"Keep it down, will ya?" James asked, quickly getting up to shut the door.

"Sorry," Sirius replied, "I just can't believe you're going to propose!"

"I'm not right now! But, next year, I am."

"Did you buy that for Lily?" Remus asked, speaking for the first time since Lily had left.

"No, my mom gave it to me this summer. She said, and I quote, 'I just have a feeling that you are going to need it soon. So I wanted to give it to you now, just in case.' And then she said that if I lost it, she would kill me. My father gave it to her the day before they graduated school, so it's really important to her."

"Your mom always has had that uncanny ability to predict the future. Remember that one time she told me that I shouldn't keep my wand in my back pocket because I would sit down and break it? And then, while I was telling her that that was ridiculous, I sat down and broke my wand? Remember that?" James laughed.

"I remember," he said, still laughing. Remus and Peter were snickering as well.

"It's not funny, mates!" Sirius exclaimed. "I loved that wand!" This only caused them to laugh harder. Sirius scowled and muttered, "Some friends you lot are," under his breath.

Once they had all stopped laughing, James got up and carefully put the ring back in his trunk.

"So, what should we do now?" Peter asked.

"I feel like playing some Quidditch," James said. The other three boys nodded, and they all agreed to have a two-on-two game.

The air outside was cold, but James didn't mind it. He knew it would feel good once he started playing. They had decided on the teams as they had walked outside; it was James and Peter versus Sirius and Remus. The four boys took their stances, and began playing. They played for hours; neither team wanted to quit while the other was ahead. Finally, they unanimously decided to stop playing. Tired, and sweaty, the boys dragged themselves inside to get a fresh change of clothes and a towel to shower with.

James was about to go up the steps to his dormitory when he saw Lily sitting on the common room couch, reading. He smiled, and went over to her instead.

"Hey Beautiful," he said to her.

"Hey Handsome," she said, but then she looked up from her book and saw his grungy appearance. "Or should I say, hey Sweaty." She wrinkled her nose.

"Do I really smell that bad?" he asked. She only nodded in response. He grinned.

"I was playing Quidditch," he said.

"I gathered that. Now, please go take a shower." James pretended to debate about showering, and laughed when he saw Lily glaring at him.

"Okay, fine. I'll be back soon," he told her, and went to the showers.

xxxxxxxxxx

Lily had been waiting barely ten minutes when James sauntered back into the common room.

"Hey, again," he greeted.

"Hi," she said in return as he sat down next to her. She moved into him, snuggling against his chest. He smelled like soap, Lily noticed with relief. James put his arm around her, and they stayed in content silence for a few minutes.

"Lily," James said, breaking the silence, "What do you want to do after you graduate?"

"I haven't really thought about it," she told him, wondering what had brought the question on.

"At all?"

"No, not really," she answered. "I mean, eventually I would like to start a family, but not for a few years after school."

"Oh," James said.

"What about you? Do you still want to be an Auror?"

"I'm not sure." Lily sat up at this, and looked at him curiously.

"You're not sure?"

"I might want to do something else when I get out of school," he said.

"Like what?"

"I don't know," he said, running his fingers through his hair, "Get a house, marry you, settle down, start a family. I don't think I'll have time to-" Lily cut him off.

"Did you say _marry me_?" she asked incredulously. James turned red.

"Well, um... Yeah," he said nervously. Lily's eyes widened in shock, and she watched as James grew redder.

"Not right now!" he said quickly, and then seemed to think he had said the wrong thing. "Well, not to say that I don't love you, because I do! It's just that I don't think we should get married right now, cause we're in school and all. Well, of course, if you said you wanted to right now, then I would be ecstatic, but I know that you probably don't want to cause we've only been dating a month and-"

Although Lily thought James' rambling was cute, she decided to put him out of his misery. She kissed him, cutting him off mid-ramble. When she pulled away, she smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"Sorry. Guess I was rambling, wasn't I?"

"Yeah," she said.

"Are you upset?" he asked nervously.

"No, not at all! I was just caught off guard; you said it so bluntly, I wasn't prepared for the proclamation. But I think it's sweet that you are thinking that far ahead for us. I could never be mad at that." James visibly relaxed.

"And James, if your dream is to be an Auror, then I want you to go for it. No matter how much it worries me, I still want you to be happy. If being an Auror will make you happy, then you should do it."

"Being with you makes me happy. Making you happy makes me happy. Just looking at you and knowing that you want to be with me makes me happy," James said, and again, Lily was surprised by the bluntness of his statement. She snuggled into him again, and sighed contentedly.

"Whatever you want to do is okay with me," Lily told him. She closed her eyes and listened to James' rhythmic breathing. Tiredness overcame her, and soon she was fast asleep on James' chest.

Lily woke to voices.

"Why can't I wake them up?" Lily immediately recognized Sirius' voice.

"Because it's rude. Just let them sleep." The second voice belonged to Remus.

"You should know by now that I don't care if I'm being rude or not!" Sirius said, much too loudly.

"Keep your voice down," Remus implored. Lily decided that know was a good time to open her eyes and let them know she was awake.

"Oh, good morning, Flower! We were just talking about you!" Sirius said when he saw Lily awake.

"I heard," she said, sitting up. James was still sleeping next to her. She lightly shook him.

"Don't even bother. He'll never wake up like that," Sirius told her.

"Well, how do you usually wake him up?" Lily asked. Sirius gave her a mischievous grin.

"I'm glad you asked," he said while pulling out his wand.

"Never mind!" Lily said quickly, causing Sirius' face to become crestfallen. Lily thought for a moment, and then smiled. She knew exactly how to wake James up. She leaned down and captured James' lips with her own. She distantly heard Sirius make a gagging sound. Lily waited until she felt James respond to the kiss, and then pulled away. His eyes shot open.

"Hey!" he said in protest, leaning up to kiss her again.

"James," Lily said, gently pushing him back down.

"We're standing right here, mate!" Sirius exclaimed. James looked over, and scowled at his friends.

"Well, stop standing right there and go somewhere else so I can kiss my girlfriend!"

"James," Lily said, standing up despite his effort to keep her next to him. "We have to go to breakfast and I have to brew a fresh batch of Wolfsbane for Remus." Both Remus and James frowned at this.

"Fine," James said, standing up beside her. "See you at breakfast." Lily gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and then went to get ready for the day.

Once she was done, she quickly made the Wolfsbane potion. She put the liquid in a sealed cup and stashed it in her cloak. She walked down to the Great Hall, and looked for the four boys she had become so familiar with. She spotted them easily, and went to sit with them.

"Here," Lily said, sliding the potion over to Remus. He took it, and drank it without complaint.

The rest of the day passed slowly, as did the rest of the week. After what felt like months, it was the day of the full moon. Everyone was anxiously anticipating that night. Lily was praying the Wolfsbane potion worked. If not, Remus would be devastated, and she would feel awful for giving him that false hope.

"Lily?" James said beside her, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go," she said, and the two headed to the main doors.

"Now remember," James started, for the third time, "Wait here until I come get you. And make sure you have your-"

"My wand and a broom stick," she interrupted, shaking her head at him. "James, we've been over this. I know what to do. I'll be okay. Stop worrying so much." He sighed, and turned to face her, causing them both to stop walking.

"I know you think you can handle it, Lily. But you don't know what it's like out there. You've never seen Remus when he gets mad. It's not pretty, and it's definitely not safe for a human to be around. I just want you to be prepared. In case the Wolfsbane doesn't work. I'm not trying to irritate you; I'm trying to keep you safe."

"I will be," she told him. He didn't look convinced, but starting walking again anyway.

They reached the main doors and stood, waiting for Remus, Sirius, and Peter. The three boys came around the corner within minutes.

"Well, here we go," Remus said in a nervous voice.

"Cheer up, mate! This is going to be exciting!" Sirius exclaimed with a broad smile.

"We'll see," Remus replied.

"We better head out," James said. Lily gave him a goodbye kiss, and watched as the four boys walked onto the grounds. Lily sat on the steps, and threw the Invisibility Cloak over her.

She waited. Twenty minutes went by. The forty-five. She had been sitting on the steps for an hour, and was about to go inside, when she heard a noise. It was a distant thumping. The sound got closer, and Lily realized it was the sound of galloping. A large stag burst out of the forest seconds later. Before Lily's eyes, the stag turned into her boyfriend.

"It works!" he shouted as he walked closer. Lily ran out to meet him.

"It works!" he said again when she was closer. She saw the huge smile that was plastered on his face, and smiled herself.

"Well, what are we waiting for? I want to go see for myself!" Lily exclaimed. Without a word, James morphed back into a stag and waited.

"What?" Lily asked, confused. James looked at her, then his back, then at her again, waiting for her to comprehend.

"You want me to ride you?" Lily asked incredulously. James nodded.

Lily stepped forward uncertainly. She had never even ridden a horse before; she had no idea how to ride a stag. After struggling for a few minutes, she finally managed to get on James back the right way.

"I'm not sure where to hold-" Lily never finished her question. James took off into the forest, nearly causing Lily to fall off. She desperately grabbed for anything she could hold on too. Her hand connected with an antler, and she grasped it, righting herself. She then snaked her arms around James' neck and held on tightly. Lily watched the forest whizz by when, all of a sudden, there was no more forest. They were in a small clearing that seemed to be right in the middle of the Forbidden Forest.

To the side of the clearing, Sirius and Peter were standing, in human form. But it was the center of the clearing that drew Lily's attention. It was the funniest sight Lily had ever seen.

Remus was chasing his tail.

Lily got off James and burst into a fit of laughter. The sound seemed to alert Remus of her presence; he stopped spinning and looked at her. Without warning, he bounded towards her. He skidded to a stop directly in front of her, and, in one lick, covered her entire face with werewolf slobber.

"Ew, Remus!" Lily shouted, wiping her face off with her sleeve, but laughing regardless. She guessed that was his way of thanking her.

"Hey, that's my girlfriend!" James- who had changed back into a human- said in mock anger. Remus backed away, and went back to running around. Sirius changed into his Animagus form, and began running with Remus.

Lily stood and watched the two run and play. It was such an unusual sight; she couldn't help but laugh. They both seemed so carefree.

"I have to tell Wormtail something; I'll be right back," James said to her. Lily nodded in response, and watched James walk to the other side of the clearing where Peter was standing.

She had been so focused on James that she didn't notice the change that overcame Remus. The loud snarl, however, made it clear. The potion had worn off.

"Lily! Get out of here!" James panicked voice yelled to her. He changed into a stag before she could reply.

Lily blindly felt for the broom she had put on the ground. Only now, when she realized how dark it had gotten, did she think that putting her means of escape on the dark forest floor was, perhaps, not the smartest choice. Finally, she felt the sleek wood of the broom. She picked it up, and had just stood up, when Remus was suddenly in front of her. He growled, and lunged for her. Instinctually, Lily took a step back, falling, and raised her hands in front of her face. Remus' teeth sunk into the broom she didn't realize she was still holding, which splintered, and broke into pieces.

Lily saw something flash by her, and the next thing she knew, James had plowed into Remus. Remus snarled, and chased James deeper into the forest. Sirius ran after them, still in dog- form. Peter was nowhere to be seen.

Lily took a deep breath to steady herself, and then started walking in the direction she thought she had come. The forest was so dark; Lily could barely see her hand in front of her. It was a minute before she remembered her wand. She dug in her robes for her wand to light the way, but stopped dead when she realized it wasn't there. Frantically, she felt the ground for it. Lily knew it was a futile attempt; her wand was probably in the clearing where she had fallen. She looked around. She had no idea where she was, couldn't see a thing, and was completely disoriented. Lily began to panic. She was suddenly hyper-aware of the sounds of the forest. The birds calling, the scratching of a small animal, the rustle of the trees in the wind.

An owl hooted in the tree next to Lily, scaring her, and without thinking, she let out a small scream and took off running. She ran, tripped, got up, and starting running again. She just wanted to get out of the forest!

Suddenly, Lily saw a big animal cross her path, and tripped, head first, over it. She heard it squeal, and was about to get up to run again, when she heard a very human- sounding groan.

"Who's there?" Lily called tentatively.

"Lily? Is that you?" Lily blew a sigh of relief.

"Sirius," she said shakily. She heard rustling, and then saw Sirius in front of her. She took his extended hand and he pulled her to a standing position.

"All right, Evans?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little shaken up," she answered.

"I think we all are. Nobody was ready for that. We let our guard down too much. I can't believe we were so stupid! Now, we're all scattered in the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night. I don't even know where my wand is!" he said angrily.

"I lost mine, too."

"I hope Peter has his. He's got the map."

"The map?" Lily asked.

"The Marauders Map," Sirius explained. "It shows all of Hogwarts, including the grounds. And it shows where everybody is. But, you can only use it if you know how, and it requires a wand to open. So if Wormtail doesn't have his wand, then he won't be able to find us and get us out of the forest."

"Where did you get the map?" Lily asked.

"We made it," Sirius said, and Lily could hear the pride in his voice.

"Impressive," Lily told him earnestly.

"Thanks," he said, and even though she couldn't see him, she knew he was smiling. They waited a few minutes in silence, both hoping that Peter would find them. Their waiting paid off; a light, which could only be cast by a wand, was approaching them.

"Wormtail?" Sirius called to the light.

"Yeah, it's me!" Wormtail called back. He walked up to them, holding his wand in one hand, and the map in the other.

"Where are James and Remus?" Sirius asked immediately.

"James is this way," Peter said, pointing to the left, "And Remus is over there." He pointed behind them.

"Okay. We get James first, then you take Lily back inside, while James and I find Remus," Sirius said, and began walking in the direction James was.

xxxxxxxxxx

The first thing James noticed was that he was lying on something cold. He opened his eyes, but only saw black. That's when he remembered where he was.

"Lily!" he said, sitting up quickly, and instantly regretting it. His head was throbbing.

_'What happened?'_ James thought, and tried to remember how he had gotten on the ground.

He remembered knocking into Remus to get him away from Lily. Then, Remus had chased him for quite some distance before suddenly veering off in another direction completely. He had looked back to see where Remus was going… And then nothing. He could not remember what had happened next.

James looked around to see if that would give him any clues. In front of him was a large tree trunk. James stared at the tree, and then realization dawned on him. He had run into a tree. And it had knocked him out cold. Groaning, James stood up.

"James?" he heard, and recognized Lily's voice.

"Lily?" he called. He heard a lot of rustling, and realized that Lily was not alone. Then, he saw Sirius, Lily, and Peter come from around a tree.

"James!" Lily exclaimed, throwing herself onto him in a hug. The force of it caused James to stumble back, but once he regained his balance, he hugged her fiercely.

"Are you okay?" he asked frantically, pulling away to look at her face in the dim light Peter's wand provided.

"I'm fine. How about you? Are you okay? Peter said you weren't moving for a long time," she said, worry plain in her voice.

"Yeah, I, um…" James said, not wanting to tell his friends and girlfriend what had actually happened.

"James? What happened?"

"Well, I kinda… ran into a tree…" It was silent.

"You ran into a _tree_?" Sirius asked finally, and James could tell by his voice that he was on the verge of laughter. James chose not to respond.

"Which tree was it?" James sighed, and pointed to the tree.

"_This tree_?" Sirius burst into a fit of laughter. "I can see how you missed that one, mate. I mean, it's only a hundred feet tall and six feet wide. Trees need to be at _least_ two hundred feet tall and-"

"Oh, shut up, will ya? I wasn't looking at it when I ran into it!"

"Well, that's probably why you ran into it then," Sirius said, as if it was the smartest assumption he had ever made. "That's enough chatter though. We need to go find Remus. James and I will bring you two-" he motioned to Lily and Peter, "-to the edge of the forest, and then you guys will go inside. James and I will find Remus. Okay? Let's go."

Sirius began walking without confirmation for his plan, which forced the rest of them to follow along. Not that James minded; he thought it was a good plan. Lily would be safe, and he and Sirius could focus on finding Remus without worrying if Peter was still there or not.

The group made it to the forest edge, and parted ways. Sirius opened the map.

"He's close," Sirius told him. James nodded.

"We better hurry though. He's going to change back soon," James said. He and Sirius morphed into their Animagus forms, and ran to find Remus. While they were running, they heard a howl, and knew that Remus had just changed back into himself. They found him minutes later, face down on the ground.

"Remus?" James said, gently shaking him. Remus' eyes shot open, and he bolted to a standing position. His eyes were wide with worry.

"What happened?" he asked in a shaky voice.

"The potion wore off," Sirius answered, and continued before Remus had a chance to speak. "Everything is fine; no one got hurt. Except Prongs here, who ran into a tree." Remus looked relieved, though he threw a questioning glance at James.

"Where's Lily and Peter?" he asked.

"Inside," James answered. "Which is where we should be, so let's go."

The three boys walked to the castle in silence. When they entered the common room, James saw Lily sitting on the couch, seemingly waiting for them.

"Oh, you're back!" she said, relieved. James walked over to her, and gave her a kiss. He pulled away, and stood there with his arms around her waist. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Remus and Sirius go up to the dormitory.

"You sure you're okay?" he whispered to her.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just tired is all."

"Well, then, you should get some sleep," he said, letting her go.

"Lay with me?" she asked, motioning to the couch. James nodded and led them over to the couch. It was quiet for a few minutes, and James had thought Lily had fallen asleep when he heard her say his name.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to tell you," she said, sleepily.

"Tell me what?"

"That I love you." James smiled, happier than he'd ever been in his entire life.

"I love you, too."

**The End! So, thanks for sticking with this story for so long, even when I don't update for weeks. I hope you liked it! Please review, and tell me what you think, good or bad.**


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